When manufacturing large, irregularly shaped metal components, material cost is not the only factor that affects the final price. Material utilization and laser cutting nesting efficiency can also have a significant impact on the overall manufacturing cost.
Recently, we received an enquiry from an Australian company for a turntable project. The project involves large deck components, including 18 peripheral sector-shaped panels and one centre deck panel for each turntable.
The customer is considering different material options, including 5mm 5052-H32 aluminium tread plate and 3mm steel floor plate.
This project highlights an important point in sheet metal fabrication: for large and irregular parts, efficient nesting can be just as important as the material price itself.
Why Do Irregular Sheet Metal Parts Create More Material Waste?
Laser cutting is not simply a matter of placing a part on a sheet and cutting around it.
For rectangular parts, nesting is usually relatively straightforward. However, sector-shaped, circular and other irregular components require engineers to consider:
- Raw material sheet dimensions
- Part geometry
- Distance between parts
- Cutting paths
- Part orientation
- Remaining usable material
If the nesting layout is inefficient, a significant amount of material may become scrap. As a result, even when the raw material itself is reasonably priced, the actual material cost per finished part can still be high.
Why Is Material Utilization More Important for Batch Production?
For this Australian turntable project, each turntable requires:
- 18 peripheral deck panels
- 1 centre deck panel
The expected order quantity is approximately 20 turntables per batch, which means around 380 components per batch.
When production quantities increase from dozens of parts to hundreds of parts, even a small improvement in material utilization can have a meaningful impact on the total material requirement.
This is why, when preparing a découpe au laser quotation, we should not only look at the weight of an individual component. The actual nesting layout and production quantity also need to be considered.
Cost Reduction Does Not Always Mean Changing the Material
When a quotation is higher than expected, the first thought may be:
Can we use a cheaper material?
However, another important question is:
Can we manufacture the same part more efficiently?
Depending on the functional requirements, possible approaches may include:
- Improving the nesting layout
- Increasing material utilization
- Reducing scrap
- Optimizing the cutting arrangement
- Reviewing the panel pattern
- Adjusting certain design features where technically acceptable
For large custom components, these manufacturing improvements can sometimes create more meaningful savings than simply changing the material.
Why Are Complete Drawings Important for Quotation?
For this project, the customer provided PDF engineering drawings, DXF cutting files and 3D models.
This information allows the engineering team to evaluate the actual part geometry, material requirements, holes, processing requirements and nesting possibilities before preparing the quotation.
For a custom sheet metal fabrication project, providing complete drawings helps the manufacturer evaluate the entire process:
Material → Nesting → Laser Cutting → Secondary Processing → Surface Treatment → Batch Production
Rather than estimating the price based only on a product image or several overall dimensions.
Conclusion
For large and irregular sheet metal components, reducing cost does not necessarily mean choosing a cheaper material.
Better material utilization, more efficient laser cutting nesting and a manufacturing approach designed for batch production can also make a significant difference.
If you are looking for a custom sheet metal fabrication supplier, providing PDF drawings, DXF files or 3D models together with material, thickness, surface finish and expected quantities can help us evaluate your project more accurately and identify potential cost-saving opportunities.
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